1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating medical waste water in preparation for the environmentally friendly disposal thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for treating medical waste water which is a by-product of an embalming process, in preparation for the environmentally friendly disposal thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
In the fields of medicine and mortuary science, medical waste water is generated through various processes, and this waste water may have added chemicals such as embalming fluid or formaldehyde, in addition to naturally ocurring compounds such as fats, oils, blood, bacteria or viruses. In previous years, before the public and the government became environmentally sophisticated, this type of waste water was believed safe for processing by waste water treatment facilities, and was diluted with clean water and subsequently flushed down the drain. However, such treatment of potentially hazardous medical waste water is no longer acceptable in today's social and regulatory climate. State and Federal agencies are increasingly regulating effluents from both private and industrial sources. Disposing of medical wastes, including fluid wastes from embalming processes, can also be very expensive if these wastes must be treated as hazardous wastes.
In addition, many rural or outlying mortuary processing facilities are located on septic fields, and it is critical to treat the waste water from embalming and related processes, before placing it into a septic system, in order to avoid poisoning the septic field and to keep the septic system functioning properly over the long term.
Some previous patents have addressed the problem of treating medical waste water or mixed wastes. Exemplary summaries of some previously published patents in this general area follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,953 to Waibel discloses a process for the collection and treatment of biological waste which is generated during an embalming procedure. In the method of Waibel, the waste is first filtered to remove coarse solids which are later dried and incinerated. Then, the remaining liquid is distilled off in a boiling process, and the residue left from the distillation is incinerated with the solids from the filtration step. Finally, the distilled liquid is passed through a final bed filter to remove light organics and to provide an end product which is environmentally non-contaminating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,888 to Berndt discloses a reactor for treating both solid waste and mixed solid and liquid bio-medical wastes, in which the waste to be treated is first intermixed with ice which has had a disinfecting concentration of ozone trapped therein, and the waste and ice mixture is then passed through at least one shredder/grinder where it is broken into smaller particles to form a slurry. As the temperature of the slurry rises, entrapped ozone is released in a sustained manner to oxidize and disinfect the waste. Fluids are separated from a sludge which is formed by the process, allowed to settle in a liquids basin, and then filtered and re-used or discharged into a sewage treatment facility. The primary thrust of the Berndt reference appears to be on the solids component of the waste, and the treatment of the liquids portion is somewhat abbreviated. Berndt exclusively teaches the use of at least one, and preferably two shredder/grinders to chop up the waste, which is really not necessary for waste which is primarily fluid with some solid particles entrained therein.
A need still exists in the art for an improved method and apparatus for treating medical waste water which is suitable for use with septic systems and which is relatively simple to use.